An elderly couple are lucky to be alive after a passing window cleaner raised the alarm when their home went up in flames.

The pair were helped to safety after a fire broke out in the house in Langley Street in the Tennent Street area of North Belfast earlier today.

The fire has caused massive damage to the inside of the house with the couple, named locally as Renee and Geordie Boomer, losing most if not all of their possessions.

Friend of the family Diane Rea told Belfast Live the house has been “gutted”. She has set up a JustGiving page in an effort to raise money to help the couple.

She added: “The house has been completely gutted and they have lost everything. They have nothing left, even keepsakes, family pictures, they have lost it all. But they are lucky to be alive. It was a window cleaner who was passing and saw the smoke belching out of the window and he ran inside and helped them out.

“They are quite elderly and have mobility problems and they might not have got out if the fella hadn’t gone in. He closed a door inside to stop the fire spreading. The fire happened at around 6.30 this evening, but the Fire Brigade said if it had been the middle of the night they could have been dead.

“They’ve lived in the house all their lives and raised a family there. They’re a well known family in the area and they’ve now lost their home.”

It is understood the fire started upstairs and it is claimed that an electrical fault may have been the source. Locals say the Fire Service and Ambulance Service were on the scene within minutes. Diane added that Renee is well known in the area as being a former youth worker.